i LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, \ 



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Chap. 



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ft UNITED STATES OF AMERJCA. \ 



MEMORIAL ADDRESSES 



LIFE AND CHARACTER 



JOHN ARNOT, JR. 

(A REPRESENTATIVE FROM NEW YORK), 



DELIVERED IN THE 



HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND IN THE SENATE, 

FORTY-NINTH CONGRESS., SECOND SESSION. 



PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF CONGRESS. 



u 



WASHINGTON: 3^^ 

GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
1 887. 



JOINT RESOLUTION pl•o^^ding for printing eulogies delivered in Congress upon the late 
Abraham Dowdney, John Arnot, jr., Lewis Beach, William T. Price, William H. Cole, 
and Austin F. Pilce. 

Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That there be printed, of the 
eulogies delivered in Congress upon the late Abraham Dowdney, John 
Arnot, jr., and Lewis Beach, late Representatives in the Forty-ninth 
Congress from the State of New York; and William T. Price, late a 
Representative from the State of Wisconsin; and William H. Cole, late 
a Representative from the State of Maryland, twelve thousand five liun- 
dred copies each, of which three thousand copies of each shall be for the 
use of the Senate and nine thousand five hundred each for tlie use of 
the House of Representatives. 

Sec. 2. That tliere be also printed of the eulogies delivered in Congress 
upon the late Austin F. Pike a Senator from New Hampshire, twelve 
thousand copies, of which four thousand copies shall be for the use of 
the Senate and eight thousand copies for the use of the House of Rep- 
resentatives. 

Sec. 3. That the Secretary of the Treasmy be, and he is hereby, 
directed to have printed portraits of the said Abraham Dowdney, John 
Arnot, jr., Lewis Beach, Wilham T Price, William H. Cole, and Austin 
F. Pike, to accompany said eulogies, and for the purpose of engraving 
and printing said portraits the sum of three thousand dollars, or so much 
thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any moneys 
in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated. 

Approved, March 3, 1887. 
2 



ANNOUNCEMENT 



OF THE 



Death of John Arnot, Jr. 



In the House of Representatives, 

December 6, 1886. 

Mr. Hewitt. Mr. Speaker, it is my painful duty to an- 
nounce to the House that since its adjournment in August 
last two members of the New York delegation have died, 
Hon. Lewis Beach, who represented in this House the 
Fifteenth Congressional district, and Hon. John Arnot, Jr., 
who represented the Twenty-eighth Congressional district. 

I do not propose at this time to do more than make this 
sad announcement, knowing that the House will hereafter 
take such action as will be appropriate in the circumstances. 
But I send to the desk resolutions which I ask to have read 
by the Clerk. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has heard with sincere regret the announce- 
ment of the death during the late recess of Hon. Lewis Beach and Hon. 
John Arnot, Jr., late Representatives from the State of New York. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate the foi'egoing resohition to the 
Senate. 

Resolved, That as a mark of respect to the memory of tlie deceased 
Representatives the House do now adjourn. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to, and the House 
accordingly adjourned. 



4 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

In the House of Representatives, 

February 8, 1887. 
Mr. Millard. I submit the resolutions which I send to 
the desk. 

The Clerk read as follows : 

Resolved, That the House has received with profound sorrow the an- 
nouncement of the death of Hon. John Arnot, late a member of the 
House of Representatives from the State of New York, and tenders to 
the family and kindred of the deceased the assurance of sympathy m 
their sad bereavement. 

Resolved That the business of the House be now suspended that oppor- 
tunity may be given for fitting tributes to the memory of the deceased 
and to his eminent public and private virtues. 

Resolved, Tliat the Clerk of the House be directed to transmit to the 
famUy of the deceased a copy of these resolutions. 



ADDRESSES 

ON THE 

Death of John Arnot, Jr. 



DELIVERED IN THE TWO HOUSES OF CONGRESS. 



Address of Mr. Millard, of New York. 

Mr. Speaker : At a meeting of the New York Congress- 
ional delegation, recently held, I was directed by its chair- 
man, Mr. Hewitt, to present to the House at this time the 
resolutions just read. It now becomes my sad duty to ask 
for their consideration, and to join in paying the last official 
tribute to the memory of my deceased colleague. 

Scenes like this have become so freciuent during the pres- 
ent Congress, they seem almost to constitute a part of the 
regular proceedings of the House. The list of our departed 
associates is indeed a long one. Of the three hundred and 
twenty-five Representatives elected to the Forty-ninth Con- 
gress who a little more than one year ago appeared and 
answered to the first roll-call, the seats of eleven have been 
vacated by the hand of death. Eleven of our number liave 
died. With them "life's fitful fever is over." Tlieir work 
on earth is accomplished, and they have passed beyond the 
reach of all human praise or blame. 



6 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

In the deatli of John Arnot I cannot but feel that I have 
sustained a personal loss He was not only my colleague, 
hut my neighbor and friend. We entered Congress at the 
same time, and the Congressional district he represented at 
the time of his death comprised a portion of the constituency 
I had the honor to represent in the Forty-eighth Congress. 
In the few remarks I may be able to offer at this time I can- 
not hope to do justice to his memory, yet were I to remain 
silent I should not only do violence to my own feelings, but 
disappoint many of my constituents who were his admirers 
and life-long friends. 

John Arnot was born at Elmira, N, Y., March 11, 1831. 
He sprang from good stock, being the second son of the late 
John Arnot, a native of Perthshire, Scotland. In early 
life the father left his Scottish home to seek his fortune in 
the New World, and while a young man came to Elmira, 
then a small village in the southern tier of New York. He 
was a man of great business energy and financial ability, 
and did more to develop the resources of Southern New 
York and Northern Pennsylvania than any man of his time. 
The elder Arnot died several years ago, leaving surviving 
him three sons, Stephen T., John, and Matthias. John 
was educated at a private school, and upon the death of his 
father became the head of the Chemung Canal Bank, one of 
the largest banking houses in the southern tier of New 
York, In early life he married Miss Hulit, daughter of 
the late Hon. Charles Hulit,' a woman of culture and re- 
finement, to whose beauty of character and patient courage 
he was largely indebted for his success in life. 

That the people of the Twenty-eighth district of New York 
in 1882 should select him to represent them in Congress was 
one of the most natural things in the world. For many 
years he had been its foremost citizen, popular with all 



Address of Mr MRlard, of New Yorl<. T 

classes, a man of great wealth, but with a heart as big as his 
fortune. No man in all Southern New York was better or 
more favorably known. For thirty years he had been iden- 
tified with the growth and prosperity of his beloved city, 
and there was no spot in all the world he loved so well. It 
was at Elmira he was born, and it was there all the busy 
years of his life had been spent. If he had loved her, she had 
honored him in return. For three successive terms he had 
been chosen president of the village, and after it had become 
a thriving and populous city he was frequently elected to 
the office of mayor. 

John Arnot at the time of his death had entered upon 
his second term in Congress. So satisfactorily had he per- 
formed the duties of his high office, and so greatly was he 
beloved, his second nomination and election was practically 
without opposition. Though residing in a doubtful district, 
the Republican Congressional convention which met at 
Ithaca in the autumn of 1884 made him its candidate by 
unanimously indorsing his nomination. He made no claims 
to statesmanship. He was not a debater or in any sense a 
parliamentarian. I tliink his voice was never heard in the 
discussion of any public question upon this floor. Pro- 
tracted debate wearied him, and he was always impatient 
for the call of the previous question. But for all this he 
was an able man, thoroughly posted upon all important 
questions, and his vote and influence was always to be found 
on the right side. 

John Arnot was a strong partisan, l)ut he never per- 
mitted his party obligations to interfere with wliat he 
deemed to be a conscientious performance of official duty. 
Public life in Washington has many temptations, and there 
are few who have occupied liigli official positi(ms here that 
have escaped the charge of corruption or venality in some 



8 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

form or other. Charges of this character are often made 
against public men without the slightest foundation ; but 
no breath of detraction ever tarnished his good name or 
dimmed the luster of his public life. The honesty of his 
vote was never questioned ; his integrity was unimpeachable 
and incorruptible. As was said of the late lamented Has- 
kell, one of our distinguished associates in the Forty-eighth 
Congress, "his lips were too white to tell a lie and his hands 
too pure to accept a bribe. " 

The Twenty-eighth Congressional district of New York is 
one of the largest and most important in the State, rich in 
agricultural resources and extensive manufactures. Cornell 
University is within its boundaries. To fitly represent such 
a people and such a constituency its Representative was 
required to be not only a man of ability, but he must cor- 
rectly reflect the views of his district upon all great public 
questions, such as the tariff and the financial policy of the 
Government. Upon these questions Mr. Arnot was thor- 
oughly informed and outspoken. Upon all such questions 
he desired not only to represent the views of his constit- 
uency, but to do what he deemed to be for the best inter- 
ests of the American people. The last time we ever saw 
him alive was when he came here from a sick bed in Elmira 
to record his vote against the passage of a measure which in 
his judgment was hostile to the welfare of millions of our 

people. 

Sir, I have spoken of Mr. Arnot's early life and his val- 
uable public services. I now desire to speak briefly of him 
as a private citizen. Though he was many years my senior, 
I knew him intimately. Few public men were more highly 
esteemed or universally beloved. From his father he had 
inherited a large fortune, but it was neither his wealth nor 
his official position that endeared him to the hearts of the 



Address of Mr. Millard, of New Fork. 9 

people. He was the manliest of men, the most delightful of 
companions, and the truest of friends. He was everywhere 
a welcome visitor, and always unassuming and considerate 
of the rights of others. 

It is written, and upon occasions like this often said, and 
well said, that •'an honest man is the noblest work of God." 
Such a man was our honored and beloved associate. In all 
the multifarious and complex dealings with his neighbors 
and fellow-men he was scrupulously honest and upright — 
his word as good and a little better than his bond. 

In the summer of 1883 his name began to be mentioned in 
connection with the nomination for Congress in his district, 
but official position or public life had no charms for him, 
and it was not until he had been twice put in nomination 
that he would consent to stand as a candidate. The contest 
was the hottest ever known in the district. He had for a 
competitor an able man, one of the best political speakers in 
the State, and with a splendid record as a soldier in the war 
of the rebellion ; but to defeat such a candidate as John 
Arnot was an impossibility. There was scarcely a poor 
man or woman in the district he had not befriended at one 
time or another. If in destitution or overtaken with sudden 
misfortune they went to him for assistance, and they never 
returned empty-handed. How many sad hearts he made 
glad by his open-handed generosity no one ever knew but 
himself. 

With him it was always more blessed to give than receive. 
If I were asked to name the chief characteristic of John 
Arnot, I should unhesitatingly say his unbounded liberality. 
The history of such a life is written in this one word, the 
sweetest and best word in all the ancient or modern lan- 
guages. Why should such a man, so kind, so generous, so 
noble-hearted, not be permitted to live out the time allotted 



10 Life and Charader of John Arnot, Jr. 

to men ? Why should such a life, so valuable to society and 
the state, be thus shortened ? I confess I am unable to com- 
prehend. 

On the 20th of last November, at his home, in Elmira, Mr. 
Arnot died. He had not been in good health for the past 
year. In the autumn of 1884 he met with an accident which 
well-nigh proved fatal. From its effects he had never fully 
recovered. His death, though not wholly unexpected, was a 
great shock to the people of his district. They knew that he 
was sorely ill, and had been compelled to leave his official 
duties here in the middle of the session, but they hoped and 
prayed for his recovery. They longed to see him upon the 
street again. Said his distinguished competitor for the elec- 
tion to the Forty-eighth Congress, during his illness, "Al- 
though he defeated me for Congress, I would take off my 
shoes and walk to Washington in my bare feet to restore 
him to health." 

Colonel Baxter but expressed the feelings of hundreds of 
Mr. Arnot's constituents, but it was not to be. No human 
skill could bring him back to health. As the sun was illu- 
mining the eastern horizon on that beautiful November 
morn the heart of our beloved associate ceased to beat, and 
he sank to rest surrounded by those he loved best— his 

family. 

In the death of John Arnot Southern New York lost its 
most valuable citizen, the State and Nation a faithful public 
servant, and every member of this House a genial and true 
friend. Greater men have lived and died, but none more 
justly esteemed or universally loved. 



Address of Mr. Hiscock, of Neiv York. \^ 



Address of Mr. HiscoCK, of New York. 

Mr. Speaker : I rise to pay a tribute of respect to John 
Arnot. 

He was one of the most distinguished sons, one of the most 
influential citizens, of the State of New York. 

He entered upon life surrounded by every advantage that 
may be possessed in this Republic. A member of a wealthy 
and distinguished family, it was not necessary for him to 
acquire, but only to utilize the means already at hand for 
his development. He was not forced to struggle for place 
and position, but hardly a less difficult task was before him, 
to hold that to which he was born. I have not said this to 
detract from his merits, but rather to illustrate them. Too 
often is it that such early advantages as those of Mr. Arnot 
are possessed at the expense of the energy, force of charac- 
ter, and personal habits necessary to success, and the devel- 
opment of a worthy character and manhood. 

Mr. Arnot did not become weak because action and 
energy were unnecessary. He was not insensible to the 
claims of his neighbors, friends, his city, and the State 
upon him, though the honors they might bestow were 
unnecessary for his happiness or pleasure. He was ever 
kind to the poor, though he had never felt the pain of their 
necessities. He extended a helping hand to those struggling 
to position, although he had ever possessed it. 

In the society and municipal affairs of his native town he 
always had a deep interest, though little likely to be person- 
ally affected by them. 

Possessed of the means that would have established him 
in a broader and more conspicuous field, ho chose rather to 
work out his life problem where it commenced; and in that 
section of our State— in respect to its area, population. 



12 Life and Character of John Arnof, Jr. 

wealth, and education a State of itself — no man lias more 
impressed himself or been held in higher respect or esteem 
while living, or, now that he is . gone, in kinder and more 
respectful memory by her people. 

He engaged in vast business enterprises (not because 
accumulation was necessary or for the sake of accumulating), 
and honesty and conscientiousness marked the transactions 
of his business career. He was a man of unquestioned 
integrity. In those official positions to which he was called 
at home his administration was characterized by a firm and 
steady purpose to accomplish the greatest possible good for 
his people. He was a public spirited citizen, a warm friend, 
and open-handed in relieving the distressed. 

As a Congressman we knew him here, and the highest 
compliment was paid him 1)y his constituents. Though a 
member of the Democratic party he was elect from a Repub- 
lican district, because they knew that party ties would not 
be strong enough to hold him from faithfully representing 
them in his votes; that party prejudice nor party necessities 
would swerve him from faithfully voicing their views and 
convictions. And, sir, their confidence was not misplaced. 
He never hesitated to balance the chances or weigh the eif ect 
upon himself ; of strong convictions, he quickly responded 
to the expectations of those he represented. 

Though belonging to a great political party he was not 
its slave, and would not surrender at its call his opinions 
and the interests of his district. But few of his type mark 
our Congressional history, and I bow my head in honor and 
reverence to him. 

His virtues will long be remembered in Southern New 
York. He was a worthy representative of a great State, 
and his duty to her was never obscured, but he honestly, 
faithfully, and promptly discharged the trusts reposed in 



Address of Mr. Van Eaton, of 3Iississippi. 13 

him. His associates in this House will remember him as 
genial and generous, a man of positiveness, always trust- 
worthy anci painstaking, and with a thorough comprehen- 
sion of those questions he was called upon to deal with. 
We remark his absence, and appreciate that a strong man 
has gone from us. 



Address of Mr. Van Eaton of Mississippi. 

Mr. Speaker : My acquaintance with our lost friend and 
brother began in this way : Soon after my election to the 
Forty-eighth Congress a valued friend and prominent citi- 
zen of Mississippi said to me one day that he had an old 
friend of his Yale College days, who, like myself, had been 
elected for a first term, whose acquaintance he thought I 
would find pleasant, and to whom he gave me a letter of 
introduction. That letter I handed to John Arnot at the 
Democratic caucus the Saturday night before the meeting 
of Congress. Though years had passed since they had met, 
he was greatly pleased to hear from his old friend, and 
much interested in all that related to his situation and 
prospects. 

The acquaintance thus begun soon ripened into friend- 
ship, and I found him at first what he was ever, warm- 
hearted, genial, generous, and frank. He was eminently 
calculated to win and retain friends ; he had great positive- 
ness of character, and was very pronounced in his likes and 
dislikes. He despised shams, show, and pretense, while 
struggling merit, however lowly, found in him a fast and 
unfailing friend. His ideal of what man ought to be was 
very high, and I think it maybe truthfidly said his daily 
life and conduct squared fully with his ideal. While he 



14 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

loathed the arts of the quack, the trickster, and the dema- 
gogue, he had infinite faith in his kind and a living trust 
in the future. 

This faith and trust colored all his life, and, coupled with 
his boundless generosity, made up one of the loveliest char- 
acters I have ever known. The needy and the suffering 
never appealed to him in vain, nor did he wait for appeals ; 
he was ever seeking opportunities of doing good, which he 
always preferred to do "by stealth." On one occasion I 
spoke reprovingly to him of his indiscriminate acts of 
charity, and referred to the danger that much he gave might 
be unworthily bestowed. His reply was characteristic ; it 
was to the effect that he might make some poor sorrowing 
sufferer glad, and he would take all the chances in that 
hope. 

All that tended to make men and women better and hap- 
pier found in him a firm and unwavering friend, not in 
words and professions, for of these he was charj^, but in acts 
that would be performed and bear fruit while others were 
hesitating ; and to-day while we pause in the great rush of 
the affairs of every-day life to pay what I am sure is a heart- 
felt tribute to his memory, the name is legion of those who 
have abundant cause to mourn his loss and lament the death 
of him who had been their friend in time of sorest need. 

I know it is commonly said epitaphs and tributes of this 
kind study only to speak well of the dead, but in this case 
it is simi)ly impossible to speak truthfully without speaking 
words of praise — words which, to those who did not know 
the subject of them, would appear extravagant panegyric. 
The character of our friend, which I am attempting so im- 
perfectly to portray, he maintained in all the relations of 
life. He did not have one face for the world and another 
for those where that w(n'ld was shut out, but he was the 
same to all. 



Address of Mr. Felix CampheU, of New York. 15 

As a legislator lie was ever loyal and fearlessly true to 
what lie believed to lie right, and during liis term here he 
made warm friends of his associates, and that without re- 
gard to party affiliations. In a word, he was a just, good, 
true man, and of him as much as of any man any of us have 
ever met I believe it may be truthfully written that he was 

One who loved his fellow-men. 

There are others who knew him longer and more inti- 
mately than I did, and for them it is more fitting to speak 
of him and his character more minutely and at greater 
length than I should do. 

I may be permitted to say I loved him. He was my 
friend, as he was the friend of mankind, and I have sought 
this opportunity in all humbleness to drop a tear to his 
memory, to place a modest flower on his bier. 



Address of Mr. Felix Campbell, of Ne^v York. 

Mr. Speaker : It is, I think, no small testimonial to the 
character of a man of whom it can be truthfully said that 
the tributes to his memory are none the less gehuine and 
sincere than those which greeted his pathway while yet 
among us. For human nature has a kindlier side when re- 
calling the traits of those who have gone before, and blends 
with generous intent opinions tempered by the hand of sor- 
row. Yet I think it will be conceded that the thoughts and 
feelings associated with the man whose life and character 
we are considering to-night were as kind and fervent wliilo 
he was still among us as those which followed him to the 
grave, and that no more beautiful tribute can be woven to 
his memory than is comprised in many of the utterances 
passed upon him l)efore his days were nundxn-ed. 



16 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

Mr. Arnot was a singularly plain man — plain in tliat lie 
was direct, open, sincere, and without disguise, with an in- 
herent force of character inherited from ancestors who were 
pioneers in the development of two great States, and whose 
qualities in no small degree gave vigor to the conservative 
and steady methods which characterize the soil from which 
he sprang. Amid the surroundings of his childhood were 
instilled principles and feelings which remained with him 
through life — a broad sense of right, marked freedom from 
prejudice and illiberality of thought, a power of friendship 
strong in grasp and beautiful in its loyalty, and, above all, 
a gentleness and serenity of heart which lent sunshine to his 
presence and welcome to his voice. He was of positive con- 
viction and determined purpose, but with a simplicity of 
bearing and modesty of expression thoroughly in keeping 
with a nature foreign alike to obtrusive assertiveness and 
unseemly ostentation. Indeed, to many minds the simplicity 
of this character was its chief charm. It was candid in all 
its attributes and generous to the last. 

Charles Lamb once said : 

The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth and have 
it found out by accident. 

Mr. Arnot had no such thought. He cared not whether 
his good deeds were known or not ; he gave because the 
giving made the recipient, and therefore himself, happy. 
His motives were high, and were born of a nature too deeply 
imbued with the spirit of the golden rule to permit an act 
in the doing of which was commingled any selfishness. The 
esteem in which he was held by his neighbors and the con- 
fidence which they reposed in him could be illustrated in no 
better way than in the honors which they thrust upon him. 

When tlie now flourisliing city of Elmira, was but a vil- 
lage he was its honored head, and subsequently when chart- 
ered he v/as elected maycu-, and re-elected so long as he was 



Address of Mr. Felix Campbell, of New Yorl:. 1 7 

content to serve the people among whom he had lived all 
his life, and who looked to him as the sponsor of their trust 
and rectitude. It is four years since he was nominated for 
Congress by the Democrats of a district which contained a 
Republican majority of over tliree tliousand. His personal 
following was so great that he was elected by a majority 
equal to that ordinarily given to the Republican candidate. 
In Congress he so discharged his duties that he was renomi- 
nated by both of the political parties and re-elected without 
opposition. 

It is unnecessary, I take it, Mr. Speaker, to dwell at length 
on the estimation in which he was held by his associates on 
this floor. To his labors here he brought the same direct 
methods of thought and the same just principles Avhicli char- 
acterized his business career, and his subsequent adminis- 
tration of the affairs of the city in which he lived. Careful 
and considerate, he commanded respect for the force and 
liberality of his views, as he appealed also to the warmer 
side of human nature by a radiance of heart which never 
lost its luster. For at least a year before he died his health 
was poor. He bore suffering with Christian fortitude, and 
as the shadows closed about him spoke of an abiding confi- 
dence in the wisdom of the Supreme Being, to whose sum- 
mons we must all inevitably bow. 

The good Avhich this man did lives after him in the recol- 
lection of the many to whom he was a protector and a friend; 
it is written in the records of the charitable institutions to 
which he gave unstintingly of his means, and in the activity 
of the benevolent enterprises whicli he was pleased to stimu- 
late and promote. 

May the gentle and generous influences which his asso- 
ciation engendered long survive ; and in the heavenly sjdiere, 
where contention is no more, may rest and peaci^' and hap- 
piness be his for all time. 
H. Mis. 159 2 



13 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

Address of Mr. CURTIN, of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Speaker: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive 
those who trespass against us " might be a rule of action ; 
but " Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a still higher injunc- 
tion, whether it comes from inspiration or drops from the 
lips of Divinity. I have never in my life known a man who 
followed that precept more rigidly than did John Arnot. 
I would not exalt our friend as a great orator or statesman. 
His voice was never heard within this Hall during his career 
except to vote ; yet around that man there gathered more 
afeectionate devotion than ever fixed itself upon any man 
that I have known since my presence in the Congress of the 
United States. 

Mr. Speaker, when a man dies who never fulfilled much 
of the personal and relative duties of life, who never loved 
his neighbor as himself, who never gave of his means in 
open-handed charity, there ic little thought of it ; and there 
is just about as much thought of a man of that kind as there 
ought to be. But when a good man dies there is an aching 
void in the society in which he lived, in the neighborhood 
that he served, in the hearts of the friends to whom he was 
kind, and the poor who were the objects of his benevolence. 

I would not speak of John Arnot other than as an honest 
man, equal to all his trusts— a man who had the confidence 
of the community in which he lived. When he died all that 
community was gathered at his funeral, and there was real 
sorrow, because a true friend of humanity had passed away. 
The rich who knew that he was an honest man, the poor 
whom he had sustained and supported, the representatives 
of the institutions of charity to which he had been liberal 
all his life followed him to the grave, and there was real 
sorrow. In that community there is to-day a void. 



Address oj- Mr. Curtin, of Pennsylvania. 19 

Mr. Speaker, a statesman may die, and for a time much 
may be said of him ; of his eloquence, of his good works, 
and the like ; but he is soon forgotten. There are plenty 
of statesmen in this country. 1 do not know but that there 
are more than there might be, certainly as many as are use- 
ful ; and when one after another drops out their places are 
filled by others quite their peers and equals, and it is not, 
therefore, that a nation should mourn for the decease of a 
man. That is of little amount. It is in the course of human 
affairs, just as we stand constantly in these Halls and in the 
States. 

But the great tribute to the memory of a man is the effect 
he has on the community in which he lived. I say no man 
has been in this Congress since my presence here and had 
the honor of a seat on this floor that had around him more 
devoted friends than John Arnot. I was so much his 
friend that I can scarcely speak of him without emotion. 1 
am not equal to it. In all my life, and it is drawing to a 
close, I never knew a purer man. I never knew a kinder 
man ; I never knew a man more constant in his friendsliip. 
more dignified in his resentment of wrong, or more willing 
to do his duty relative to his family and his community and 
to the state. 

Now, Mr. Speaker, I am not magnifying the man. I 
have said of him what I believe ; and whilst I have had 
much to do with the affairs of the country, have been with 
men of all classes in my life, I know full well tliat of this 
man I am pronouncing no eulogy beyond that which is 
proper. I use no language which I do not tliink belongs to 
him and to his memory, and I offer to his memory the hom- 
age of my gratitude for the life of the man. and with the 
belief that he is happier now than we are to-day. 

Mr. Speaker, we must fulfill our duties, for none can tell 
when the portals of this Hall will open and the grim raonstei- 



20 Life and Character of Joint Arnoi, Jr. 

will come in and seize another victim— to-niglit, to-morrow, 
who knows ? We should be ready. 

Mr. Speaker, all humanity is of one family. It is made 
up of the living and the dead, and those who go before us 
cast their benefactions upon us by their good works in life, 
and it is reserved for us when we are to follow to so dispose 
of our works to our country and our friends that when we 
go we too will leave an example to those who may come 
after us, and whilst that may be forgotten, and our names 
unknown as members of this august and distinguished body, 
but when our good names come to those who follow us in 
the circle of our friends where we live, they will feel the 
benefactions of a just and upright life. That is all John 
Arnot did. That, gentlemen, is all you can do. Just d(^ 
it ; your friends will be satisfied ; your memory will be 
cherished, and the Almighty God will bless you. 



Address of Mr. Timothy J. Campbell, of New 

York- 
Mr. Speaker : In accordance with a time-honored custom, 
this evening has been set apart by the House of Represen- 
tatives to aff(jrd us an opportunity of testifying our regard 
for the memory of those whom the angel of death has sum- 
moned from our midst. 

While perliaps there are men more widely known, yet 
there are few men whose lives, after the last page has been 
written, will bear as close a scrutiny as that of our friend 
and colleague, John Arnot, and show so little, if anything, 
to hide or excuse, so much to commend, reflect upon, and 
take pattern by. That life was spent in the half century 
and more of its lively continuance in one spot, Mr. Arnot's 



Address of Mr. Timothy J. Camphell, of New York. 21 

birthplace and the scene of his death being almost identical, 
something that in this shifting, moving, restless country of 
onrs is imcommon and unusual, but the influences of that 
life was of wide extent, reaching far beyond the confined 
limits of his city, county, district, and State. 

From his earliest childhood Mr. Arnot was one by him- 
self, exhibiting those characteristics that marked his whole 
career ; winning love and consideration in his youth that he 
held until his latest breath, and that remains and will re- 
main attached to his memory forever. His family, one of 
the wealthiest and most prominent in the "southern tier" 
of New York, and, indeed, of the whole State, were identi- 
fied with the old Whig party. He himself was always a 
Democrat, there being something in the principles of that 
party appealing to his generous nature that could never see 
any difference in his fellow-men, whatever their position or 
condition in life. He had the jjleasurable satisfaction, long 
before the founder and head of the family died, of seeing 
them all come to his side in politics, and adopt the princi- 
ples and sentiments that he had held from boyhood. 

It might be said, and with truth, that Mr. Arnot's whole 
life had been a public one. In youth, after a good common- 
school education, and a brief season spent at Yale College, 
where, however, he did not graduate, he was called home 
in 1852 by his father to assist in the management of a very 
large estate, his own especial duties being connected with 
the conduct of the Chemung Canal Bank of Elmira, largely 
OAvned by his family. This has always l)een a strong and 
influential concern, but Mr. Arnot, by his advent in its 
management, added to its character an element seldom 
possessed by great moneyed concerns, that of a generosity 
toward the business interests of that whole regi(m, a care 
and consideration for its credit, that in periods of distress 



22 Life and Chora cier of John Arnot, Jr. 

and depression carried it into prosperous times with fewer 
disasters than occurred to any other section anywhere in 
the land. 

It is a matter of record that in the distressful periods of 
mercantile depression that marked the years of 1857 and 
1873, times that have but once or twice been paralleled in 
the business history of this country, the city of Elniira and 
the large region depending upon upon it, or upon which it 
depended, with the immense interests in coal, iron, and lum- 
ber, were entirely free from such disastrous failures as were 
frequent in other parts of the country. 

This favorable state of affairs can be directly traceable to 
Mr. Arnot and the Chemung Canal Bank. The foundations 
of the bank were laid deep, and the whole region could and 
did lean upon it trustingly and confidingly. It is the simple 
truth that in those troublous times not one single man who 
went to Mr. Arnot for help was ever turned away empty- 
handed. His large nature grasped the whole monetary 
situation, and he was unwilling to have distress fall upon 
the humblest. 

Of course when the tide turned and the sun of prosperity 
once more shone over the land, Mr. Arnot reaped largely 
where lie had sown so plentifully. He deserved to do so. 
But not alone in money did the return come to him, and I 
am inclined to think, knowing what I do of him, that he 
valued that less than he did the abiding love and affection 
of the whole community that' were equally the result of his 
thoughtfulness and generosity. 

At another time, in indications of distress and unhappi 
ness, Mr. Arnot's position and feelings were no less markedly 
shown. In those early days of the war, in the midst of dis- 
ti'ust, suspicion, and ajiprehension, his whole personal in- 
fluence and the monetary influence and assistance of the 



Address of Mr. Timofhy J. CdmphelJ, of New York. 23 

bank were thrown by liim nnliesitatingiy and firmly on the 
side of the Union and the Government. Its funds were 
always ready and available in times of emergency and need 
in forwarding the means taken for the undivided jjreserva- 
tion of the country. 

Can it be wondered at, then, that whenever Mr. Arnot 
came before the people for an elective office he never had 
any real opposition ? He served three terms as president of 
the board of trustees of the then village of Elmira in 1859, 
I860, and 1804, being only twenty-eight years of age when 
chosen for the first time, and each time his election was 
j)ractically unanimous. When Elmira was made a city, in 
18GJ:, he was elected its first mayor and served in the same 
capacity in 1870 and 1874. These were the only i)ublic 
offices he held until he was chosen a member of this body in 
1882. 

That election so peculiarly shows how Mr. Arnot was held 
in the estimation of his fellow-citizens that I cannot help 
but refer to it particularly. His district was then composed 
of the counties of Chemung, Steuben, and Allegany. Alle- 
gany County, as every one knows, was the birthplace of the 
Republican party and it could always be counted upon for a 
majority on that side of at least 3,500. Steuben County 
sympathized strongly with its neighbor and was good for 
the same organization by at least 3,000 majority more. 
Chemung Count3^ although naturally Democratic, was 
sometimes ''mighty uncertain." Our friends, the Republi- 
cans, in the canvass had nominated a brilliant young law- 
yer who had a splendid war record and had made a State 
reputation by his camj^aign speeches. 

As I have said, the struggle was a bitter one, but the re- 
sult not, perhaps, astonishing. Mr. Arnot's majority iu 
the district was upwards of 4,000, and he carried every elec- 



24 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

tion district in liis own county l)ut one, and every county in 
tlie district. In the next canvass, although the district was 
reconstructed, tliere was no nomination made against him. 
an event that attracted national attention. 

I recall these things to our memories as the best commen- 
tary I can make upon the life and character of our friend, 
as showing that sometimes party ties and party lines are 
very weak when brought into contact with a strong person- 
ality that is backed by personal affection and based on 
gratitude. 

We all know the record that Mr. Arnot made in this as- 
sembly. The qualities that bound to him so tenaciously the 
great body of his constituents endeared him to every mem- 
ber here who came in personal contact with him, and gave 
him among those who knew him only by reputation a place 
that it would be an envied pleasure for any one to occupy. 
He was the intimate and the associate of the best in this 
House, and therefore of the best in the land, and was speed- 
ily recognized as their ecjual and peer. 

It might be expected and it will be found that the kindly 
feelings of Mr. Arnot, which in large business operations 
take the name of generosity, were in smaller things ex- 
hibited in a way that we call charitable. His private gifts, 
from which he could never expect the slightest return, were 
enormous. It seemed impossible for him to turn any one 
away unsatisfied who asked for help. The extent of these 
givings was never in any sort "measured until after his death, 
and the unobtrusiveness with which they were made may 
somewhat be estimated from an illustration with which I 
have become acquainted. 

A very old and poverty-stricken couple, the husband more 
than eighty years of age and l)lind and tlie wife closely ap- 
proaching the same period of life, froze to death within a 



Address of Mr. Timothy J. Canij^heJl, of New Yorl\ 25 

few days of Mr. Arnot's demise— he by the wayside in the 
midst of a severe snow-storm while out seeking something 
to provide warmth and food, and she while awaiting in her 
home his return. It was then ascertained for the first time 
that for years they had been the constant and regular recipi- 
ents of the bounty of our friend. The hand and good heart 
that had protected and provided for them had been too 
suddenly withdrawn. No one can tell into how many 
households where there was want, sickness, and the disabled 
distress entered, although it is to be hoped not in such ter- 
rible shape as this, when our friend died. 

When such a heart as this stops Ijeating is it any wonder 
that in the community that was blessed by its throbs genu- 
ine tears of sorrow flow and a void be made that can never 
be filled ? 

Mr. Arnot was too young a man to die, and, as is often 
the case, his career of usefulness and beauty was too brief. 
I say career of beauty, for there is nothing more beautiful 
to me than the life of such a man. Provided with abun- 
dant means, unobtrusively but nevertheless just as certainly, 
with a heart singularly free from envy, liatred, malice, and 
all uncharitableness, he went about doing good. Where 
there were tears and sorrow he caused smiles and gladness 
to come ; oftentimes his hand made mourning less grievous, 
and by his tenderness caused the shadow of death to be less 
dark and gloomy. If the man who where one blade of grass 
grew caused two blades there to spring up deserves immor- 
tality, what can be said of him who chases away a tear and 
puts in its place a smile ? 

Mr. Arnot, springing from the sturdy Scotch stock, was 
too young to die and fifteen years too short of the allotted 
years of man's existence. But a man even of exceptional 
ruggedness could not well have successfully withstood the 



26 Life and Character of John Arriot, Jr. 

physical shock that Mr. Arnot sustained two years ago last 
October. It will be remembered by the most of us that at 
that time, in opening the vault of his bank one morning, 
there was an explosion of gas therefrom, and he was thrown 
across the room, fifteen feet or thereabouts, striking against 
the desk, and at the same time was severely burned about 
the head, face, and hands. 

At this time he was a sjjlendid specimen of physical man- 
hood, but he never recovered from the shock. We who saw 
him during the first session of this Congress know how earn- 
estly he tried to perform his duties, and know, too, how 
rapidly his constitution was being undermined. It was no 
surjDrise, therefore, although as great a grief, when the in- 
formation was received the latter part of last November 
that he had passed from among us and was no more. 

We and other public bodies with which Mr. Arnot was 
connected may pass formal resolutions of respect, sympa- 
thy, and regret, and the world will wag on its old cold way 
as though the sod covered all that there was of our friend; 
there will be disaster and pros]3erity, shadow and sunshine, 
clouds and rainbows, as though he had never existed, but 
in that community where he lived and was loved for many 
a day and year there will be sincere mourning, and the 
mention of his name will for many a generation conjure up 
memories of deeds of kindness and thoughtf ulness that may- 
hap may prompt others following in his footsteps to emulate 
his example and live the life that he lived. He can not be 
forgotten, and even if he is, it can not be said of him that 
he lived in vain, for he was an honorable and honest man. 



Address of Mr. Wilkins, of Ohio. 27 

Address of Mr. ^VILKINS, of Ohio. 

Mr. Speaker : John Arnot was my friend. I became 
acquainted with him early in the first session of the Forty- 
eighth Congress. 

The acquaintance formed thus early in our legislative 
careers ripened into a warm and generous friendship, which 
was never interrupted by a hasty word or an unpleasant in- 
cident. 

And, sir, I can not permit this occasion to pass without 
joining with his colleagues, who knew him longer and better 
perhaps, without joining with them in paying a tender trib- 
ute to his memory. 

His death occurred at his home in Elmira, K Y., on Sat- 
urday morning, November 20, 1886, resulting doubtless from 
serious injuries he had sustained by an explosion of gas in 
the vault of the Chemung Canal Bank, of which he was the 
managing officer. 

The injuries he then received proved nearly fatal at the 
time, but careful nursing and a robust constitution tided 
him over until the sunset of the j^ear. 

He never recovered from the shock he had received. When 
he returned to his seat in the first session of the Forty -ninth 
Congress it was a subject of common remark he was not 
the same John Arnot as before. At times during this ses- 
sion he would rally and seem to grow stronger, encouraging 
the hope for his ultimate restoration to health, but for 
months prior to his death his rapidly failing strength gave 
unmistakable evidence the end was near. 

John Arnot was born March H, 1831, and was therefore 
nearly fifty -six years old at the time of his death. Fourteen 
years less than the three-score and ten allotted to man by 
the psalmist were measured to him. 



28 I^'^f^ <^'*^c^ Characier of John Arnot, Jr. 

Cut down 111 the days of liis ripening iiiaiiliood, who can 
tell — with his immovable integrity, with his rare fidelity to 
every public trust, noble minded, true hearted — who can 
tell what he might not have attained in the councils of tlie 
nation had he been spared in the vigor of his manhood. 

In his own home city, where he had lived all his life, 
among those who knew him from infancy to boyhood, from 
boyhood to manhood, generous, just, and kind-hearted, he 
could reach no higher place in their hearts. 

Respected by all who knew him, venerated as a benefactor 
by hundreds who have been the recipients of his bounty, 
none loved him better than those who knew him best. The 
grief of his people was unmistakable. 

Sir, it was not my good fortune to know John Arnot as 
he was known by his neighbors and friends, who have en- 
joyed his friendship for years and the hospitalities of his 
home ; but, sir, the press of the city of Elmira, irrespective 
of political affiliations, voice the sentiment of his people, be- 
fore whom j)assed in review every act of his private life and 
who sat in judgment upon every movement in his political 
career. They feelingly and eloquently bear witness to-day 
to the uprightness of his life and the sterling integrity of 
his character. 

That his personal and public life merited the confidence 
of his people is evidenced by the fact that he could at any 
time have any office within the gift of the people of his city. 

Sir, he was thrice elected president of the town of Ehiiira, 
and after it became a city he was chosen its first mayor, and 
was subsequently elected to the same office for two succes- 
sive terms. 

In 1882 he was nominated a candidate for Congress, but 
declined the ])r()(ferod honor ; a second convention was held 
a few days before the election. Yielding to the earnest so- 



Address of Mr. Wilkins, of Ohio. 29 

licitation of friends in all political parties he was again 
nominated, and notwithstanding a large adverse majority 
was overwhelmingly elected. Again in 1884 he was renom- 
inated by his party, indorsed by the opposition, and unani- 
mt)nsly elected. He served his constituents in Congress 
with honor and distinction. His judgment was as sound as 
the impulses of his heart were generous. 

John Arnot was a man of great kindness of heart ; his 
charities were boundless. So much was this so that it was 
a proverb in his city to say, ■"• As generous as John Arnot." 
And I hesitate to speak of these things, for I knew him so 
well that I know if he were to be consulted he would much 
rather this distinguishing virtue should be passed over in 
silence. 

Everybody in want went to him ; churches with depleted 
treasuries, societies, and individuals, and, as my friend from 
New York [Mr. Millard] said, " No deserving person 
came away empty-handed." 

In Washington he was always doing some good and gen- 
erous thing. I know personally of many of his charities ; 
but no one ever knew half the good he did. Fortunately 
'* his purse was as big as his heart.'' 

He was a safe counselor, an incorruptil)le pu1)lic servant, 
an able, conscientious Representative. 

I do not know that I need say more of his public life than 
that he was faithful to every public trust. His judgment 
was sound, and his intellectual methods were based upon 
such personal experience as had Ijrought success. 

In his family relations the kindness he manifested every- 
where was here amplified. His home was his refuge-place 
from the storm and worry of life, the abode of mutual self- 
sacrifice. 

He leaves a wife, two sons, and a daughter. May God 



30 I^'if^ '^'^^ Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

bless and comfort tliem in tliis their great bereavement, 
and teacli tlie cliildren to emulate the virtues of a distin- 
gnished father! 

The wife loses a faithful, loving husband; the children an 
affectionate, devoted father. The city of Elmira loses her 
foremost citizen ; the country a safe, able, conscientious, 
and patriotic Representative. 



Address of Mr. Hewitt, of Nsmt York. 

Mr. Speaker : The death of Mr. Arnot had been for some 
time expected by his friends and neighbors. He was a man 
of very different type from Mr. Beach; not less honorable 
and conscientious, but more inclined to accommodate him- 
self to surrounding circumstances and the immediate de- 
mands of the hour. Although allied with the Democratic 
party, the tie which bound him to it was not of principle so 
much as a conviction that in the long run the Federal Gov- 
ernment would be more economically and purely adminis- 
tered by the party which had- finally given it shape and 
direction. The condition of his health naturally interfered 
with his regular attendance in the House, so that he may 
be said not to have possessed or exercised any substantial 
influence in reference to legislation. On critical questions 
dividing the parties he was as apt to be found on the one side 
as the other, and hence he came to be regarded not so much 
a partisan as a fair-minded man who could be relied upon to 
do what was expedient at the moment and trust to the 
future for a more permanent policy. His popuhirity in liis 
own district was witliout limit, and it is a striking evi- 
dence of tlie personal regard in which he was held in this 
House that his presence at rare intervals diffused a genial 
sunshine, tending to remove the asperities of party differ- 



Address of Mr. Holmnn, of Indiana. 31 

ences and to bring about that era of good feeling which in 
the main has been so remarkably preserved in the Forty- 
ninth Congress. The memory of Mr. Arxot, as well as 
that of Mr. Beach, will therefore long be held in great re- 
spect by the members of this House who had learned to 
know their virtues, and who had found in them only those 
faults which are incident to the personal character of every 
member. 



Address of Mr. Holman, of Indiana. 

Mr. Speaker : I wish to speak a few words of another 
distinguished member of this House from the State of New 
York, John Arnot, jr., to commemorate whose memory 
also is the duty of this hour. 

When Mr. Arnot first came into this Hall on the opening 
of the Forty-eighth Congress an incident occurred illustrat- 
ive of his generous and kindly nature. In drawing seats, 
a subject of great interest to members, it was Mr. Arnot's 
good fortune to draw a seat I had long occupied, favorably 
located, while I was thrown into the extreme southwest 
corner of the Hall. Mr. Arnot refused to take my seat, and 
quietly took possession, whether I was willing or not, of the 
remote seat I had been compelled to select. You, gentlemen, 
more than those unaccustomed to the Hall, will appreciate 
the unselfish generosity of this act. 

But I soon learned that generous and kindly acts were 
common to Mr. Arnot. Many I could recall. I will men- 
tion one only. A poor boy, feeble and deformed, but bright 
and intelligent, was occasionally, by the kind permission of 
the officers of the House, allowed to sell newspapers at the 
doors and occasionally when it was raining to come inside 
of the corridors. This ].(>(. i- b(iy soon attracted the kindly 



32 l^^f^ tt^^*^? Character of Jolin Arnof, Jr. 

attention of Mr. Arnot, who, learning something of the 
boy's history, gave him the liandsome sum of $50, and laid 
the foundation of the boy's fortunes ; the little fellow when 
speaking of Mr. Aenot can never keep the tears from his 
eyes. 

Mr. Arnot, long in feeble health, was seldom able to take 
an active part in the business of the House ; but as a good 
and just man, a kind and generous gentleman, a warm, 
courteous, and steadfast friend, Mr. Arnot will always be 
remembered with kindly affection by his associates in 
Congress. 

Mr. Millard. I move the adoption of the resolutions. 

The resolutions were unanimously agreed to; and the 
House accordingly adjourned. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 



In the Senate of the United States, 

December 8, 1886. 
A message from the House of Representatives, by Mr. 
Clark, its Clerk, conveyed to the Senate the intelligence of 
the death of Hon. Lewis Beach and of the death of Hon. 
John Aknot, jr., late Representatives from the State of 
New York. 

In the Senate of the United States, 

March 1, 1887. 
Mr. Miller. Mr. President, I ask the Chair to lay before 
the Senate the message of the House of Representatives 
communicating the resolutions adopted by that body on the 
death of Hon. John Arnot. 

The Presiding Officer laid before the Senate the following 
resolutions of the House of Representatives, which were 
read: 

In the House of Representatives, 

Febriiarij 22, 1887. 

Resolved, That the House has received with profound sorrow the 
announcement of the death of Hon. John Arxot. late a member of the 
House of Representatives from the State of New York, and tenders to tlie 
family and kmdred of the deceased the assm-ance of sympathy in their 
sad bereavement. 

Resolved, That the business of the House be now suspended that oppor- 
tunity may be given for fitting tributes to the memt)ry of the deci-asod 
and to his eminent public and private virtues. 

Resolved. That the Clerk of the House be directed to communicate the 
foregoing resolutions to tlie Senate. 

H. Mis. 150 ;) s?. 



34 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

Mr. Miller. I send resolvitions to the desk, which I ask 
may be read. 

The Presiding Officer. The resolntions submitted by the 
Senator from New York will be read. 

The resolutions were read, as follows: 

Resolved, That the Senate has received with deep sensibiUty the 
announcement of the death of Hon. John Arnot, late a member of the 
House of Representatives from the State of New York. 

Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted by the Secre- 
tary of the Senate to the family of the deceased. 



Address of Mr. 3IiUer, of New Yorl-. 35 



Address of Mr. Miller, of New York. 

Mr, President : I have asked the Senate to lay aside for 
a few moments its regular business in order that I may pay 
a tribute of respect to the memory of Hon. John Arnot, 
late a Representative in Congress from the State of New 
York. 

Mr. Arnot was first elected to the Forty-eighth Congress 
and re-elected to the Forty-ninth Congress. He died at his 
home in the city of Elmira on the 20th of last November. 

Mr. Arnot was in no sense a seeker after the honors or 
emoluments of office. In this case the office sought the man. 
He was a business man rather than a politician. In the 
many enterprises in which he was engaged he displayed 
strong executive ability and clear foresight. He inherited 
wealth and added largely to it by his industry and business 
sagacity. 

His neighbors came to know him as a man of stern in- 
tegrity, liberal in his views, generous to a fault, and with 
great capacity for affairs. 

His party forced upon him the nomination for Congress, 
which he unwillingly accepted. He served his people so 
satisfactorily that he was re-elected to the Forty-ninth Con- 
gress without opposition. 

Mr, Arnot was a Democrat in politics and a strong party 
man, but he never allowed his partisan feelings to control 
his action or to secure his support of a party measure which 
did not meet the approval of his judgment. Mr. Arnot is 
an illustrious example of the safety of committing govern- 
mental duties to those who have shown great success in the 
management of their own affairs. 

He had not been trained in the science of government as 



36 I^ife and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

taught in our schools or in the law, but his contact with 
men and their affairs led him almost intuitively to take that 
side of a question which was in the interests of the people 
and for the development of the resources of our country. 
As his judgment had been almost unerring in his own affairs, 
so it was sound on nearly every question uj)on which he was 
called to act during his service in Congress. 

In my judgment the safety and prosperity of our country 
depend more upon the men who possess the qualities of 
heart and mind which Mr, Arnot possessed than upon the 
mere brilliant qualities of the political genius or learned ex- 
pounder of the law. It is in men of this character that the 
reserve force of our country is to be found. 

To-day the material interests of the nation are controlled 
by a host of wise and energetic business men who, in a large 
degree, have subdued the forces of nature and made them 
work for man. In the all-absorbing nature of their enter- 
prises they seem to forget at times that they owe this nation 
any duty ; but, if by any chance they are drawn into polit- 
ical affairs, they evince the same energy and foresight that 
characterized them in the private station. 

Mr. Arnot was most loved and honored where he was 
best known. In his home at Elmira, where he had lived all 
his life — a city which he had seen grow up, and toward 
which growth he had contributed much — he was known to 
all its citizens as public spirited and generous of heart. His 
death was keenly felt in Elmira and the surrounding country. 
His memory will be cherished there so long as any shall sur- 
vive who knew him, 

I know of no higher encomium which can be passed on any 
man than that which was said of Mr. Arnot hy his neigh- 
bor : " He was a true friend, a good citizen, an honest man." 



Address of Mr. Blackburn, of Kentucky. 37 



Address of Mr. Blackburn, of Kentucky. 

Mr. President: In a continuous Congressional service 
of more than half a score of years this is the first time that 
I have ever uttered a word on an occasion like this. But 
when the death of John Arnot, of New York, is announced 
to a Chamber of which I am a member, I would be unjust 
to myself and recreant to every prompting of friendship if 
I permitted it to pass in silence. 

It is not of the Congressman or of the law-maker alone 
that I would speak. It is the dead friend who looms up be- 
fore me, a man whose life illustrated those nobler properties 
that teach us to think better of humanity. 

I have no prepared eulogium to pronounce, but he was a 
man who was honest in the discharge of every duty that 
devolved upon him, painstaking, faithful, and conscientious. 
Whether in commercial matters or in the discharge of 
those duties that rested on him as a public servant, he met 
the ful'lest measure of criticism that might be applied. But 
In his private life he illustrated those properties that made 
him dear to all who knew him. If it was the weeping 
widow whom he found in tears attending the sale that a cor- 
morant creditor was enforcing of the shelter that a dead 
husband had left to her and to her little ones, it was his 
check that was given, it was his own generous soul that 
directed that the commissioner should make the deed to her 
who was unable to protect either herself or those who were 
dependent on her. 

His life was a constant illustration of the broadest philan- 
thropy, and in my judgment the truest religion that a man 
has ever been permitted to employ among his fellows. It 
was an enduring effort to lighten the load, to ameliorate the 



38 Life and Character of John Arnot, Jr. 

condition, and to advance the welfare of his fellow-men. 
He believed that it was — 

Not well to prate of creeds, 
But better to write one's life in noble deeds. 

The world was better for his labors, and he passed out of 
it with a conscience, I am sure, clear of offense either toward 
his Maker or toward his fellows. Not speeded, but peace- 
fully, he passed into that far-off country where the showers 
of the rain-storms come not and where the heaviest laden 
wayfarer at last lays down his load. 

Fearlessly he met that last of all opponents, before, whose 
grim visage mortality has never failed to yield. Conscious 
of rectitude in life, remembering that he had done naught 
to bring discredit upon a name that had been honoi, ^ ^,mOng 
his fellows, fearlessly he crossed the misty boundary Li±at 
separates us from the great hereafter, bearing in hia hand 
the best and safest passport that immortal soul ever went 
into eternity with, the burden that he had lifted from the 
shoulder of some toiling comrade or the tear that he had 
dried upon the furrowed cheek of sorrow. 

Whatever may be said, the testimony of those by whom 
he was best known, the love that is borne him by those who 
were closest to him, attest beyond controversy the merit and 
the worth of this dead comrade. Well may his friends go 
and inscribe upon the marble that is to mark his resting 
place words that were inscribed before for one who was no 
more worthy, "Earth never pillowed upon her bosom a 
truer son, nor heaven opened wide its portals to receive a 
manlier spirit." 

The President i^'^o temimre. The question is on the adop- 
tion of the resolutions. 

The resolutions were agreed to unanimously. 

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